British pamphlets relating to the American Revolution, 1764-1783

385 Pages·2004·8.09 MB·English

BRITISH RECORDS RELhTING TO AMERICA
IN MICROFORM
General Editor: Professor W E Minchinton
BRITISH PAMPHLETS
RELATING TO THE
AMERICAN
REVOLUTION
1764-1783
Edited by
Colin Bonwick
University of Keele
and
Thomas R. Adams
E3rown University
I?rovidence, R.I.
1982
A Microform Limit Project
BRITISH RECORDS RELATING TO AMERICA IN MICROFORM
General Editor W E Minchhton
This series of microfilms, published by Microform Limited in
conjunction with the British Association for American Studies,
comprises over 100 titles, covering many aspects of American history.
Material ranges in time from the colonial period to the twentieth
century and in place from Quebec to the West Indies. The series
includes records relating to trade, industry, plantations,
agriculture and ranching, immigration and settlement, the anti-
slavery movement, politics, religion and military affairs. There
are personal papers and diaries as well as state documents and the
records of industrial and commercial concerns. Primary printed
material (newspapers,p amphlets, guides etc) as well as manuscript
collections are included. Each new title includes a copy of the
introduction in pamphlet form as well as the microform version at
the beginning of the film.
The academic control of the scheme is vested in an advisory
committee of the British Association for American Studies. The
committee is constantly seeking to widen the scope of the scheme.
Suggestions for material for inclusion should be sent to the general
editor, Professor W E Minchinton, Department of Economic History,
University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4RJ.
Full details of titles available in the British Records Relating
to America in Microform series are available from:
Microform Limited
East Ardsley
Wakefi eld
Yorkshire W3 2AT
England
BRITISH RECORDS RELATING TO AMERICA IN MICROFORM
General Editor W.E. Minchinton
BRITISH PAMPHLETS RELATING TO
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
1764-1783
Edited by
Colin Bonwick
University of Keele
and
Thomas R, Adams
Brown University
Providence, R.I.
Published by Microform Limited
East Ardsley, V'akefield
Yorkshire WF3 2AT
England
ISBN 0 7158 5480 I
INTRODUCTION
This microfilm publication includes a copy of every available British and
Irish pamphlet relating to the American Revolution that was printed in
Great Britain between January 1st 1764 and December 31st 1783. The
importance of these pamphlets has been long appreciated and the richness
of their contents suspected but heretofore they have not all been readily
accessible and some have been virtually unknown. A few of these tracts
have been reprinted in England in whole or in part; those that were also
printed in America appear in the Early American Imprints series. This
edition brings them together for the first time; there are 1161 in all.
The working definition of t3 pamphlet is adapted from the Oxford English
Dictionary. It is a treatise usually occupying fewer sheets than a book
but composed, and printed, as a separate work and generally issued unbound
with or without paper covers; in particular it is a treatise on a subject
of current interest, whether personal, social, political, ecclesiastical
or controversial, on which the writer desirestoappeal to the public.
Most items in the microfilin conform to this definition, but the scope of
this publication has been widened in two respects in the interests of
comprehensiveness and usefulness to readers. Insofar as possible,
broadsides have been included in that they conform to the content definition;
similarly a number of full-length books have also been included because
they would have been read 1s part of the pamphlet literature. Among the
pamphlets whose publication was stimulated by that question of intensely
controversial concern, the American Revolution, can be found examples of
a multitude of interests: imperial organization, grand strategy, civil
and political liberty, morality, ecclesiastical organization, economics,
diplomacy and personal reputation. Almost all the tracts reproduced in
this series were published for general sale, but a few privately printed
pieces are included because they were distributed informally.
PRINCIPLES OF SELECTION
The Damohlets included in this series are selected from those listed in
Thornas R.-Adams, The American Controversy: A Bibliographical Study of
the British Pamphlets about the American Disputes, 1764-1 783. All pamphlets,
broadsides and controversial books that are relevant to the various aspects
of the American Revolution, whether devoted in their entirety to the
subject or simply containing a paragraph or more, or frequent scattered
references, appear on the microfilm. The editors have sought to be
comprehensive, and where the content of a particular tract lies on the
borderline of relevance, that tract has been included. Also included are
two publications that lie outside the chronological limits of The American
Controversy (one from 1763 and another from 1784) in order to complete a
series of tracts on a common theme. In addition to British and Irish
pamphlets, those American and European pamphlets that were reprinted in
Britain between 1764 and 1783 fall within the scope of this microfilm
compilation, as do Britisb parliamentary speeches that were published for
outside readers and public reports and papers (though not government
documents such as royal proclamations and parliamentary bills and acts).
Among the tracts listed in The American Controversy that have been omitted
from the microfilm are those relating to trade, the domestic affairs of a
particular colony and those concerned exclusively with the West Indies.
Pamphlets concerning Quebec, however, are included as the debate over its
administration and government impinged on the pre-war disputes between
Britain and the American colonies. All periodical literature has been
excluded and so have those pamphlets provoked by the Palliser-Keppel affair
which was, at best, peripheral to the American Revolution.
A small number of pamphlets have been omitted because no copy could be
located, or none was available or suitable for filming. Any pamphlet that
becomesavailable later will be published in due course in a supplementary
microfilm.
EDITORIAL METHOD
In general only one edition of each pamphlet has been filmed. Normally
the first edition has been selected, though a later edition has been chosen
if it contains additional editorial material or if the first edition could
not for any reason, be filmed. Similarly, where a tract was initially
published in America or on the continent, the first British edition has
usually been filmed. Although every effort has been made to locate and
photograph pamphlets that are bibliographically complete this has unfortunately
proved impossible where all identified copies of a particular pamphlet have
had their preliminary and advertising pages removed during binding;
however, in these cases very little if any, editorial material has been lost.
The pamphlets have been filmed in the same sequence as listed in IT~ h_e
American Controversy: that is, chronologically by year of publication, and
alphabetically within each year by author, title in the case of anonymous
tracts, and originating institution in the case of public documents.
American library usage is followed; thus, peers are listed by title rather
than family name, but bishops are listed by name rather than by their see.
Where the only edition filmed is a second or subsequent edition, it is
included within the year of first publication. Where more than one edition
has been filmed, each edition is included in its particular year of
publication. Pamphlets initially published in America or in Europe are
listed by the date of their first British printing, even if the copy filmed
is an overseas edition first printed in an earlier year. Titles first
printed before 1764 are lccated in the year of first publication during
the period covered by this edition.
Each pamphlet is preceded, in the microfilm, by a target card which contains
brief details of title, authorship and publication. It also includes
the serial numbers in both the microfilm and The American Controversy
and the location of the copy filmed (see the list of locations for the
standard symbols used). The target cards themselves are available in hard
copy and are designed in a format suitable for inclusion in library card-
catalogues. Users of the microfilm/target cards should refer to -The
American Controversy for full publication and bibliographical information.
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There are four indexes to the material on microfilm:
1. An index of pamphlet numbers on each reel of microfilm.
2. A short-title index in chronological sequence (listing pamphlets
by year and alphabetically within each year).
3. A short-title index in alphabetical order (by author, originating
institution or, in the case of anonymous tracts, title).
4 . A comparative numerical index of reference numbers in Adams
The American Controversy and pamphlet numbers on the microfilm.
PROVENANCE
The titles filmed have been drawn from libraries in Great Britain, The United
States and Canada. Although a few major research libraries in these countries
hold large numbers of pamphlets, none possesses more than forty to sixty-five
per cent of the total listed in The American Controversy. Many of the
American libraries' holdings are based on collections assembled on their
behalf by the nineteenth-century Vermont bookseller, Henry Stevens, who
spent many years in London. Over the years, these libraries have continued
to pursue an active buying policy to supplement their collections. A large
proportion of the Bodleian Library's pamphlets, including the Patriot(ic1
tracts, originally formed part of the Loyalist Jonathan Boucher's collection,
while the British Library's copies came from several sources, among which
was the library assembled by King George 111. Many pamphlets were donated
to the British Library by Thomas Hollis who, as one of the colonists'
doughtiest champions in England, considered it as his contribution to the
preservation and advancement of liberty to arrange for the reprinting and
distribution of pamphlets originally published in America.
For the most part copies were filmed at The British Library, London, the
John Carter Brown Library, Providence, R.I., The Library of Congress,
Washington, D.C., and the Bodleian Library, Oxford. Other libraries that
provided several copies - and, in some instances, considerable numbers -
were The Henry E. Huntington Library, Yale University Library, The Newberry
Library, The Lilly Library, University of Indiana, Boston Public Library,
Harvard University Library, The William L. Clements Library, University of
Michigan, The New York Public Library, The Historical Society of Pennsylvania,
Philadelphia, The Library Company of Philadelphia and the Society for the
Propagation of the Gospel, London.
Single copies were filmed in Britain at Aberdeen University Library,
Berkshire County Library, Derbyshire County Library, Essex County Library,
Liverpool City Library, Norwich Public Library and the Nottingham Free
Public Library; in the United States at the American Antiquarian Society,
Brown University Library, Columbia University Library, the Garrett
Theological Seminary, Texas University, Austin and Tulane University;
and in Canada at Toronto Public Library.
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The editors warmly thank the above libraries and their staffs for their
invaluable assistance in preparing this microfilm publication. They also
thank the libraries for granting permission to film the copies in their
possession; acknowledgement of permission to publish particular pamphlets
is made by including a location symbol on each target card.
LOCATIONS AND SYMBOLS
- Aberdeen University Library
- Berkshire County Library, Reading
BL British Library, Reference Division, London
Bod Bodleian Library, Oxford
CSnH Henry E. Huntington Library, San Marino, California
CaOt Toronto Public Library
CtY Yale University Library, New Haven, Connecticut
- Derbyshire County Library, Matlock
DLC Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
- Essex County Library, Cslchester
ICN Newberry Library, Chicago
IEG Garrett Theological Seminary, Evanston, Illinois
InU Indiana University, Lilly Library, Bloomington
- Liverpool City Litirary
LNHT Tulane University, Howard Tilton Memorial Library, New Orleans
MB Boston Public Library
MBAt Boston Atheneum
MH Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
MiUC William Clements Library, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
MWA American Antiquarian Society, Worcester, Massachusetts
NN New York Public Library
NNC Columbia University Library, New York
- Norwich Public Library
- Nottingham Free Public Library
PHi Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
PPL Library Company of Philadelphia
RPB Brown University Library, Providence, R.I.
RPJCB John Carter Brown Library, Providence, R.I.
SPG The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, London
TxU University of Texas, Austin
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Adams, Thorns R. The American Controversy: A Bibliographical Study of
'the British Pamphlets About the American Disputes
1164-1783. 2 vols. Providence: Brown University ;ress,
a n d Y o r k : The Bibliographical Society of America,
1980.
American Independence: The Growth of An Idea. Providence:
Brown University Press, 1965.
+?TheB ritish Pamphlet Press and the American Controversy,
1764-1783 .IT Proceedings of the American Antiquarian
Society, 89, Part 1 (April, 19797, pp.33-88.
Bonwick, Colin ITAnE nglish Audience for American Revolutionary PamphletsTT.
The Historical Journal, I9 (1976), 355-74.
Sabin, Joseph Bibliotheca Americana: A Dictionary of Books Relating to
America. 29 vols. New York, 1868-1936.
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INDEXES
1. REEL INDEX
Reel 1 Pamphlets 1 - 20 1763 - 1765 (cont)
2 21 - 40 1765 (cont) - 1766 (part)
3 41 - 60 1766 (cont.)
4 61 - 86 1766 (cont)
5 87 - 96 1767
6 97 - 117 1768
7 118 - 1:35 1769 (part)
8 136 - 164 1769 (cont) - 1770
9 165 - 1'76 1771 - 1772 (part)
10 177 - 193 1772 (cont) - 1773
11 194 - 209 1774 (part)
12 210 - 2:37 1774 (cont)
13 238 - 249 1774 (cont)
14 250 - 276 1774 (cont) - 1775 (part)
15 277 - 308 1775 (conk)
16 309 - 3137 1775 (cont)
17 338 - 373 1775 (cont)
18 374 - 405 1775 (cont)
19 406 - 4137 1776 (part)
20 438 - 462 1776 (cont)
21 463 - 4130 1776 (cont)
22 491 - 506 1776 (cont)
23 507 - 5136 1776 (cont)
24 537 - 563 1776 (cont)
25 564 - 589 1777 (part)
26 590 - 623 1777 (cant)
27 624 - 656 1777 (cont)
28 657 - 6134 1778 (part)
29 685 - 719 1778 (cont)
30 720 - 747 1778 (cont)
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Reel 31 Pamphlets 748 - 759 1788 (cont)
32 760 - 779 1779 (pa r t )
33 780 - 307 1779 (cont)
34 808 - ,326 1779 (cont)
35 827 - ,353 1779 (cont)
36 854 - 870 1780 (par t )
37 871 - ;395 1780 (cont)
38 896 - '934 1780 (cont)
39 935 - '964 1781 (par t )
40 965 - '988 1781 (cont)
41 989 - '397 1781 (contj
42 998 - 1017 1782 ( p a r t )
43 1018 - 1044 1782 (cont)
44 1045 - 1074 1782 (cont)
45 1075 - 1092 1782 (cont)
46 1093 - 1116 1783 (par t )
47 1117 - 1143 1783 (cont)
48 1144 - 1163 1783 (cont)
49 1164 - 1178 1783 (cont) - 1784
Note: The following items have been deleted from the above sequence:
305 (Reel 15) ; 529 and 531 (Reel 23) ; 574 (Reel 25) ; 607 (Reel 26)
815 (Reel 34); 835 (Reel 35); 894 (Reel 37); 898 (Reel 38); 938
(Reel 39); 980 (Reel 40); 1011 (Reel 42); 1031 (Reel 43); 1091
(Reel 45); 1136 (Reel 4 7 ) ; 1166 and 1170 (Reel 49).
2. CHRONOLOGICAL INDEX
REEL 1
1763
(B r i t i s h
Pamphlet No.) (Author/Title) (Adams Ref.)
1 Mayhew, Jonathan Observations on he Charter No Adams ref.
1764
2 [Bollan, W i l l i a m ] Ancient Right O f The English 64-lb
Nation
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